OK, that was just to draw you in here, I know there's a long way to go before we can call South Park feminist. But after the already-talked about "Purity Rings" episode (which attacked Disney's uncool sexualization of youth culture, especially for girls) and this episode on queefing, I'm warming back up to the show that turned me off for a couple of years (mostly due to incredibly negative attacks on gay culture).
In Canada, you can watch it here.
Because I'm in Canada I can't click on the American link, but you can go to this website and find the episode called "Eat, Pray, Queef"
Just a couple points after having watched the show: Obviously there are issues with the gendering of this episode, such as the assumption that no girl would ever find farting funny (I sure do), that no guy would ever find queefing funny, and of course the avoidance of the fact that girls do indeed fart ourselves. Not to mention the reduction of the entire feminist movement into queefing rights.
But that's what South Park does best: Takes an social movement or trend and highlights extreme stereotypes to bring to light the most ridiculous elements of that movement. So I didn't really find my sexism-alert piqued by this episode and actually found it pretty funny. I felt like it was more the hypocrisy of certain taboo subjects that was more under attack here than anything else. It was certainly brave of the creators to even mention queefing at all, probably the most taboo of all taboo bodily functions.
What do you guys think?
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While I understand this post is in the best of intention... but I do have to disagree with the core base of it.
I would say that South Park (and Borat, for that matter) are absolutely feminist in their nature. South Park, specifically, revolves around 4 fourth grade kids. 10 year olds. And there's is a reason that people think it's funny, including myself...
IT IS RIDICULOUS. We don't laugh because it's agree with it, we laugh because it's RIDICULOUS. They take the ignorance of the masses, and take it totally to another level. In Borat, when Borat interviews the group of feminists, obviously his character is ignorant to his surroundings, and to ethics, so with the basis of his nature, what comes out of his mouth is obviously supposed to be incorrect and ridiculous.
However, I do agree that I love this episode, but for the same reasons I've previously mentioned. They take the aspects of "girls don't fart" and the other totally gendered aspects, from that totally ridiculous position. By showing that these beliefs are silly, we got feminism at the roots of South Park. :)
I actually completely agree with most of this. I stated that this kind of raising-issues-to-completely-ridiculous-hilarity is the type of plotline that South Park does best. I only pointed out the gendering of this queefing episode and the stereotyping to highlight what I feel some people might point out are un-feminist plot points if they aren't familiar with the show, so that I could further explain that's just how South Park does things. But I have been watching the show since its beginning and that's why this show warmed my heart. Because it used those delightful South Parkian elements to approach something so invisible: Women laughing at body humour.
I still wouldn't call it a feminist show, and not because it's sexist, but more because feminism is so intersected with other social movements and I have a hard time laughing at the show's homophobia and Cartman's anti-semitism. I know we're not exactly supposed to relate to Cartman but I just feel uncomfortable with the constant parodying of Hitler and the Holocaust. That's not really funny to me. But those shows really peaked around the 11th season, and they're taking it back to a place I really like now. So I am starting to enjoy the show a lot more again now, which is great because for awhile it was my favourite!
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, from what I've understood of the things they've done and said, are really liberal. They do these things to highlight the absurdity of them (as previously noted).
If you look at their full(er) portfolio (Orgasmo, Team America World Police, South Park), you'll see a trend that they have a distrust of these really extreme ideas on both sides -- but they tend to focus on the Right (mostly, I think, because it gets them more press attention).
Quick recap for those who've not seen some of these:
Orgasmo -- Mormon becomes a porn star to help finance his family, in direct contravention to LDS law
Team America World Police -- America sent an "elite" group of crime fighters to take out terrorist through out the world; then destroy everything and count their victories with prideful abandon
Actually, I think one of them is a hard-core libertarian. I'm not sure if there is anything inherently anti-feminist, anti-progressive social values about libertarianism, but some of the biggest douche bags I know happen to be libertarian...
People talked about their political views more in depth in one of the other South Park threads if you are interested.
I really liked this episode. Sometimes, I feel like South Park goes a little too far and isn't funny, just offensive. But this one was spot-on, in my opinion. I was cracking up when Sharon was queefing at the table and she and Shelley were exchanging glances. And the drama of Butters? Oh, I laughed and laughed. I found it to be hysterical, and the fact that the Queef Sisters were... sisters... was also funny.
The best part, though, was Sharon's speech at the end. That women wanted to be immature and silly, but the men had taken that from them. I liked how she framed it and how it was discussed - when she asked when a fart stopped being funny (why, when it comes out the vagina!).
I thought it made an issue like queefing (which is hard to discuss in a serious context, because it's hilarious) palatable to a lot of people, showing the weird double standard of farts = funny but queefs = gross.
Best episode ever! Except for maybe "Woodland Critter Christmas"...
I mean, hey, an abortion saved the world in that episode! Plus there were satanic woodland critters. Who doesn't love them?!
I do believe I absolutely have to watch that episode now. :)
Oh god, this episode was glorious. I said the title to my boyfriend pretty much verbatim while watching this episode.
Humorously, his attitude towards the episode kind of summed up the dichotomy portrayed by the writers: I suggested we watch it with dinner, and he said "no, it's really, really gross." I trusted him because South Park is really, really gross sometimes. Later, we watched it together. When it became apparent what was so gross about the episode, I turned to him and said "really? really? really? That's too gross to eat during?"
Really??? And I thought the dinner table scene in the show was a huge exaggeration, but maybe not...
I absolutely loooooooooved this episode. I really enjoy south park at times, because when its on, it is SO dead on.(of course when its off...)
What really spoke to me about this episode was not that "women don't fart/find farts funny" but that "women can't be immature." Our societal expectations, particularly for white, well off men, encourages a boyish immaturity, but expects nothing but grown up behavior from girls and women. This expectation not only influences what women are told to find funny, but also what is deemed as funny FROM women. No one is allowed to think farts from women are funny, because, well...you know, the whole vagina thing. Farts from girls are gross, and girls who fart are too.
The queef was the perfect option for south park, because its bodily sound from a part of the body that men don't have and thus couldn't claim as their own, and is taboo, mysterious and scary!!!! The congressional scene was HILARIOUS. If i could make those sounds on command I probably would frequently.
Sorry if that was a ramble.
Especially the Road Warrior queef. ;)
Unfortunately, the only people who understood the importance of the message were people who already thought that before. My SOs roommate thought it was pointless cause women aren't oppressed.
I think he's just mad cause he knows the episode was makin fun of him : P
I never queef, except maybe once or twice during sex. Am I normal??
j/k
The other point that I thought was particularly brilliant AND feminist in this episode, was when Stan's mom (forgot her name, Marsha?) pushes the issue of asking when the joke stops being funny. As it turns out, of course it stops being funny as soon as it has to do with a vagina. Pretty sharp.